Minnesota Vikings Jared Allen sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers during the first quarter of the Minnesota Vikings game against the Green Bay Packers on November 14, 2011 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Pioneer Press: Sherri LaRose-Chiglo)

Chastened by the NFL and $21,000 lighter in the wallet, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was on the defensive because of his season-ending blind-side hit on Lance Louis. He reiterated sympathies for the fallen Chicago guard but refused to retreat from his stance.

Allen maintains he did nothing wrong when he turned blocker and launched himself into Louis on Antoine Winfield’s interception return in a 28-10 loss to the Bears on Sunday, Nov. 25, at Soldier Field. Louis suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and the league fined Allen for hitting a defenseless player.

“At that time, you’re trying to make a play and spring your guy for a touchdown,” Allen said Thursday. “I feel bad he got hurt. They viewed it illegal. You move on from it. There was no intent in it. My condolences to him and his family. You never want to injure anyone.”

Bears coach Lovie Smith criticized Allen’s hit, saying this week, “I think our game could do without that play.”

“This game is violent. I got my knee knifed in Detroit two years ago. League didn’t find anything wrong with that,” Allen said. “My opinion is, if it was a defensive player and an offensive player blocking for a running back coming up the sidelines, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

The pointed debate was entertaining enough to paper over the deteriorating pass rush that Allen commands. The Vikings relied upon this unit for years, even during the worst of times, and desperately need it to redeem itself Sunday against Green Bay at Lambeau Field.

A team that tied for the NFL lead with 50 sacks in its three-win season a year ago sits in the middle of the pack in 2012 while Allen, the league’s sack leader since 2004, has gone three games without bagging an opposing quarterback. He is on pace to finish with nine, which would be his fewest since 2006 with Kansas City. It is quite a contrast to last season, when he finished with 22, just half a sack short of Michael Strahan’s NFL record.

“I don’t think he’s lost anything,” coach Leslie Frazier said. “I think people are still trying to do the same things. They respect his game. We still get the chips. We still get the tight ends over there, trying to block him with the tackles. I don’t think it’ll be any different this weekend.”

The Bears and their patchwork offensive line did a masterful job creating a pocket for Jay Cutler. They rotated backs and tight ends to maximize protection and allowed the wily quarterback to sidestep pressure and torment the Vikings with a lethal short passing attack.

It was everything Chicago could do to shelter Cutler, who was returning from a concussion, after the San Francisco 49ers’ defense ran roughshod over the Bears’ injury-riddled offensive line and backup quarterback Jason Campbell on “Monday Night Football.”

Here are the Packers and their similarly battered O-line, coming off an embarrassing road loss to the New York Giants, on national television, during which quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times.

Rodgers has been sacked eight times and hit 12 times in the past two games. The Packers have allowed 37 sacks this year, second most in the NFL.

Allen can expect another steady diet of double teams up front and chip blocks from the backfield as he and the Vikings try to jump-start their stalled pass rush.

“You’ve got to force them into situations and then take advantage of them,” he said. “If we can get a lead and force them to play from behind, we force them to have to take shots downfield. By being successful (defensively) on first and second down, then you create some matchup things. If not, it’s going to be a tough road.”

The Vikings trailed Chicago 25-3 at halftime. They have trailed by an average of 10 points at halftime in their five losses, allowing opponents to keep the playbook wide open and dictate tempo.

“When you’re 18 points behind, they can keep as many people in the box and send one (receiver) out every time,” Allen said.

The Packers have provided a grand stage for Allen to perform over the years. He has 13 sacks on Rodgers and, before him, Brett Favre. Allen averages 1.4 per game against Green Bay, more than he averages against any other NFC North team.

“We’ve had games where we had a huge lead, and he’s spread out. You get that many one-on-one opportunities, you’re gonna win some,” Allen said. “Aaron, he’s such a good quarterback, sometimes he’ll hold the ball a little longer to make that play. Sometimes that burns you.”

Allen and Rodgers have a mutual respect forged by trash talk and grudge matches between the archrival teams.

“You know, it’s funny to think about my first start in ’08 and playing against him,” Rodgers recalled. “It was a battle — him and Pat and Kevin (Williams) and Ray Edwards at the time, there was a lot of back-and-forth going on. And there still is some on the field, especially with (Brian) Robison over there. But personally, I have a lot of respect for (Allen). He’s a fierce competitor. I hope he feels the same way about me.”

No doubt.

“I have a lot of respect for people who are at the top of their craft,” Allen said.

This is a watershed game for both teams trying to keep pace with the Bears. Especially the Vikings, who have lost three of their past four games and desperately need a road victory against a contending team to strengthen their postseason hopes.

Hit or miss, Allen figures to be in the spotlight once again.

“He’s still a very good player, he still impacts all the games,” Frazier said. “Although he may not have the sack numbers, you can feel his impact in the way people approach us in the passing game. Perfect example this last week: That team had been a drop-back team — all of a sudden, it’s a lot of underneath routes. A lot of that has to do with Jared Allen.”

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